When your Instagram account is disabled, hijacked, or destroyed, here’s how to reclaim it.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites on the planet, and for many users, losing access to their account is a nightmare situation. It’s one thing to be cut off from your friends and community, but losing years’ worth of photos and videos can be devastating. In many circumstances, regaining access to your Instagram account is not difficult.
We’ve put together a short how-to guide for recovering your deactivated, hacked, or deleted Instagram account to assist you. Account recovery could take a few days or a few weeks, depending on your situation. Let’s get this party started.

Things That Can Get Your Account Disabled

There are a variety of reasons why an Instagram account may be disabled, and moderators frequently act without warning. When you try to log in the next time, a pop-up notice will alert you that your account has been disabled.

This is not the same as not having the correct account password/username (“Incorrect Password or Username”). If this is the case, inputting your email address or phone number and resetting your password should resolve the problem in a matter of minutes, unless you’ve been hacked, which we’ll discuss later.

Instagram doesn’t disclose why accounts are disabled, but it does state it’s because of a violation of community guidelines or terms of service. Illegal actions, hate speech, nudity, and graphic violence, in general, are grounds for action. Third-party app use is likewise prohibited, and your account will be disabled if you do so. Repeat violators may have their accounts permanently deactivated, leaving them with no recourse.

The good news is that regaining access to your Instagram account after it has been disabled inadvertently isn’t difficult. It may take a few days, but that’s nothing compared to the months or years of images you have in your account.

Steps to Recover Lost Account

When you receive the dreaded disabled account message, the app prompts you to Learn More first. This will take you through the process of regaining access to your disabled Instagram account, though there are a few other tricks that we’ll discuss later.

Follow the app’s recommendations, but bear in mind that you’ll need to pass the appeal process to reclaim your Instagram account. The only way it could happen is if it was accidentally disabled. Simply apologizing for breaching the rules and vowing not to do so again will not enough.

This official contact website is another area where you can file an appeal. To have your case reviewed, simply complete in the appropriate fields and click Send. Avoid apologizing since it suggests that you were at fault. At some point during the procedure, you may be required to send in a selfie for verification.

You can appeal as many times as you want until you find a more lenient moderator. It shouldn’t take more than a few days to obtain a response, assuming you haven’t purposefully breached any major laws. Don’t be frightened to persevere; you might just strike it rich.

However, keep in mind that this procedure can take a long time. You might be better off making a new account if you want to get back on the ‘gram right away.